Rail Trail Routes

Collingwood to Thornbury

The Georgian Trail is celebrating 25 years this year. The rail trail, stretches 34 km between Collingwood and Meaford and follows the old Northern Railway Line. The trail is straight, flat and its surface is made of limestone dust/chip. Thousands of people use the trail in all four seasons. The ride from Collingwood to Thornbury takes you past golf courses, farmers fields, ski hills, historic rail stations, beaches, forests and swamps. The overall ride from Collingwood to Thornbury is 21 km and will take you anyway from 45 min to 1.5 hours, depending on your stops and speed. Which bike is right for this ride? The correct answer is any bike you prefer to ride, however, I would suggest high bred cruisers, mountain bikes and cyclocross bikes. Road bike are also fine on the trail if you don't mind the dust and stone chips.

You can pick up the Georgian Tail behind the Canadian Tire building. There is plenty of parking in that area, feel free to find a spot and find your way to the trail via Mountain Road, trail entrance is at the bridge. Once on the trail you will pass by the Cranberry Golf Course and cross over Grey Road 21. In the next section the marshlands will frame the ski hills in the background! At the half way point, you will find the Craigleith Heritage Depot, North Winds Beach and the Provincial Park. There is a washroom at the Northwinds Beach and a small convenience store (Macs) as well. As you continue toward Thornbury, you pass Georgian Peaks Ski Club where you can still see remnants of the 2012 tornado that passed through the area (look close......). Just passed the ski hills you will encounter the Georgian Bay Golf Club. As you cross Grey Road 40, the trail takes on a tunnel feeling as you ride along a thick cedar forest. Once you cross Highway 26, you are within Thornbury town limits. Continue to follow the trail until you come to the bridge just past town hall. On the other side of the Bridge is Bruce Street, congratulations you made it! Take a left and treat yourself to a coffee at Ashanti or a lunch at the Thornbury Bakery Cafe.

One way , it's 21 km of flat rail trail riding. Return trip - 42 km

This trail is great for riding cyclocross, MTB bikes or high bred bikes on in the early spring and late fall when the weather is cold and wet. The trail shelters riders from the cold north west winds that play havoc on this area during those months.